History Main / ImpassableDesert

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', you need several items to successfully cross the Haunted Wasteland (the Longshot or Hover Boots, and the Lens of Truth).

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* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', you need several items to successfully cross the Haunted Wasteland (the Longshot or Hover Boots, and the Lens of Truth).Truth).** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', the Gerudo Desert gets very hot during the day and very cold during the night outside of Kara Kara Bazaar and Gerudo Town, requiring you to wear temperature-appropriate clothes or eat special foods to traverse it safely. There are also areas with sandstorms that disable the Sheikah Slate's map.

* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'', you were heavily advised to purchase a Saurus before entering the desert, because you could command the Saurus to "go home" and it would return you to the city. You could still traverse the desert alone if you wanted, but with no map to chart your location with it was up to ''you'' to remember where the town was; forget, and you could become permanently lost as the desert extended infinitely with no landmarks to guide you. If you stubbornly refuse to buy the Saurus when the saurus salesman shows up, the game [[DroppedABridgeOnHim drops a bridge on you]].** The game actually averts this; you can get to Raseir before the caravan departs near the end of the game, if you know where to go and have all the gear you need (the Saurus, plenty of food and water). However, you aren't allowed to enter the town yet so while you can do it, there's no reason to do so; it's mostly just [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything The Dev Team Thinking of Everything]].

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* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'', you were heavily advised to purchase a Saurus before entering the desert, because you could command the Saurus to "go home" and it would return you to the city. You could still traverse the desert alone if you wanted, but with no map to chart your location with it was up to ''you'' to remember where the town was; forget, and you could become permanently lost as the desert extended infinitely with no landmarks to guide you. If you stubbornly refuse to buy the Saurus when the saurus salesman shows up, the game [[DroppedABridgeOnHim drops a bridge on you]].** The game actually averts this; you you]]. You can get to Raseir before the caravan departs near the end of the game, if you know where to go and have all the gear you need (the Saurus, plenty of food and water). However, you aren't allowed to enter the town yet so while you can do it, there's no reason to do so; it's mostly just [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything The Dev Team Thinking of Everything]].DevelopersForesight.

* In ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', the [[TheEmpire Calormene Empire]] believes it is impossible to conquer Narnia, despite outnumbering them many times over, due to the desert between them being impassable to large armies. Rabadash, in a moment of rare cleverness, thinks of a way: send a small army of experienced survivors to launch a surprise attack to conquer and hold Archenland (the smaller kingdom that separates the desert from Narnia), and then the Empire can send its forces over in small groups until the garrison is strong enough to launch an all-out invasion. [[spoiler: It might have worked, if the Narnians and Archenlanders hadn't been warned in advance and defeated the initial invasion.]]

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* In ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', the [[TheEmpire Calormene Empire]] believes it is impossible to conquer Narnia, despite outnumbering them many times over, due to the desert between them being impassable to large armies. Rabadash, in a moment of rare cleverness, thinks of a way: send a small army of experienced survivors to launch a surprise attack to conquer and hold Archenland (the smaller kingdom that separates the desert from Narnia), and then the Empire can send its forces over in small groups until the garrison is strong enough to launch an all-out invasion. [[spoiler: It might have worked, if the Narnians and Archenlanders hadn't been warned in advance and defeated the initial invasion.]]

[[ShiftingSandLand Deserts]] in video games are a hassle. Not only are these places dangerous and full of RandomEncounters, they are also difficult if not impossible to enter without the right accessory, artifact or skill. Be it glasses against the sand, a map to avoid getting lost, seven league boots to walk on quicksand, you'll never be able to "just" [[CrossingTheDesert enter the desert]].

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[[ShiftingSandLand Deserts]] in video games are a hassle. Not only are these places dangerous and full of RandomEncounters, they are also difficult if not impossible to enter without the right accessory, artifact or skill. Be it glasses against the sand, a map to avoid getting lost, seven league boots SevenLeagueBoots to walk on quicksand, you'll never be able to "just" [[CrossingTheDesert enter the desert]].

* ''{{Dune}}'' features an entire planet that's an impassable desert. People are forced to inhabit only a few cities and crossing the desert without stillsuits and thumpers (to confuse the ginormous sandworms) will be certain death. Even the Fremen can't cross without stillsuits though they've learned to manage without thumpers and hitch rides on the backs of sandworms themselves as transport.** ''With'' a stillsuit and thumpers it's still pretty much certain death for non-Fremen without an aircraft. Among other things, the Fremen stillsuits are significantly better than Imperial-make. Paul impresses several Fremen (and pseudo-Fremen Liet-Kynes, who is an Imperial who's "gone native") by managing to put on his stillsuit correctly without being told how, and by surviving on foot in the desert for even a short time.

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* ''{{Dune}}'' ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' features an entire planet that's an impassable desert. People are forced to inhabit only a few cities and crossing the desert without stillsuits and thumpers (to confuse the ginormous sandworms) will be certain death. Even the Fremen can't cross without stillsuits though they've learned to manage without thumpers and hitch rides on the backs of sandworms themselves as transport.** ''With'' a stillsuit and thumpers it's still pretty much certain death for non-Fremen without an aircraft. Among other things, the Fremen stillsuits are significantly better than Imperial-make. [[Literature/{{Dune}} Paul impresses several Fremen Fremen]] (and pseudo-Fremen Liet-Kynes, who is an Imperial who's "gone native") by managing to put on his stillsuit correctly without being told how, and by surviving on foot in the desert for even a short time.

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has exhaustion zones on Tatooine, if you get too far away from a civilized area, you'll start to rapidly die of heat exhaustion. Something similair happens with hypothermia on Hoth.

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* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has exhaustion zones on Tatooine, if you get too far away from a civilized area, you'll start to rapidly die of heat exhaustion. Something similair similar happens with hypothermia on Hoth.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', visiting The Arid, Extra-Dry Desert does nothing but produce negative status effects if you go there without first visiting The Oasis to get the Ultrahydrated effect. (Notable in that the desert used to show up ''first'', requiring you to pick up some nasty effects before The Oasis becomes available.)

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* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', visiting The Arid, Extra-Dry Desert does nothing but will produce negative status effects after every combat if you go there without first visiting The Oasis to get the Ultrahydrated effect. (Notable in that the desert used to show up ''first'', requiring you to pick up some nasty effects before The Oasis becomes available.)

* ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has exhaustion zones on Tatooine, if you get too far away from a civilized area, you'll start to rapidly die of heat exhaustion. Something similair happens with hypothermia on Hoth.* ''{{Terranigma}}'' has the Taklama desert which can only be crossed if you get directions from some nomads. It acts as a broken bridge because you can only do so after you finish the zombie town.* In the MMO ''KingdomOfLoathing'', visiting The Arid, Extra-Dry Desert does nothing but produce negative status effects if you go there without first visiting The Oasis to get the Ultrahydrated effect. (Notable in that the desert used to show up ''first'', requiring you to pick up some nasty effects before The Oasis becomes available.)

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* ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has exhaustion zones on Tatooine, if you get too far away from a civilized area, you'll start to rapidly die of heat exhaustion. Something similair happens with hypothermia on Hoth.* ''{{Terranigma}}'' ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' has the Taklama desert which can only be crossed if you get directions from some nomads. It acts as a broken bridge BrokenBridge because you can only do so after you finish the zombie town.Louran.* In the MMO ''KingdomOfLoathing'', ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', visiting The Arid, Extra-Dry Desert does nothing but produce negative status effects if you go there without first visiting The Oasis to get the Ultrahydrated effect. (Notable in that the desert used to show up ''first'', requiring you to pick up some nasty effects before The Oasis becomes available.)

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